• 09/29/2024

    Jaroslava Skleničková, the last surviving woman of the Lidice massacre, has died at the age of 98. Skleničková was just 16 when she was sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp by the Nazis with her mother and older sister. Her father was executed, along with the other men from Lidice. Skleničková passed away peacefully at her home in Lidice, surrounded by family, her daughter Jitka Pečová confirmed to the Czech News Agency.

    The small central Bohemian village of Lidice was razed to the ground by the Nazis on June 10, 1942, in retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. The men were shot and the women and children were sent to concentration camps. The site of the tragedy is now a national memorial.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 09/28/2024

    Sunday will be mostly sunny with occasional clouds and day temperatures ranging between 10 and 14 degrees Celsius.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 09/28/2024

    Several thousand people gathered in the town of Stará Boleslav on Saturday for the annual pilgrimage of St. Wenceslas dedicated to the patron saint of the Czech nation. An open air mass held outside the church where the prince was murdered by dissenters, was celebrated by Prague Archbishop Jan Graubner. Senate President Miloš Vystrčil was also in attendance, as well as other church leaders, politicians, army officials, and ambassadors.

    Stará Boleslav is the oldest Czech pilgrimage site associated with the cult of Saint Wenceslas, which was spread throughout Europe by Charles IV. September 28 has been an official state public holiday in Czechia since 2000 and is marked in the calendar as the Day of Czech Statehood. The National St. Wenceslas Pilgrimage was restored by the Roman Catholic Church in 2003.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 09/28/2024

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on Czech nationals who are still in Lebanon to leave the country without delay in view of the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah. There are currently 98 Czechs registered in the Drozd travel system in the Middle Eastern country.

    The Czech Foreign Ministry advised Czechs to leave Lebanon in October last year after the escalation of tensions following Hamas terrorist attacks on Israeli territory and the Israeli offensive in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 09/28/2024

    Police officers are increasing their presence at the Jewish sites across Czechia following reports of the death of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah. The announcement was made on the social media platform X on Saturday.

    Interior Minister Vít Rakušan confirmed that security measures in the country are being heightened in response to developments in the Middle East. He also emphasised that there is information indicating any specific or immediate threat to our country and that the measures are preventive.

    The Czech National Centre for Combating Terrorism, Extremism, and Cybercrime is currently assessing potential risks in coordination with intelligence services and international partners.

    The Israeli military announced on Saturday it has killed Hezbollah’s leader  in an air attack on Lebanon’s capital Beirut.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 09/28/2024

    Czech President Petr Pavel and his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini on Friday jointly unveiled a restored clock tower in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, inspired by Prague's Astronomical Clock. They also visited the nearby National Czech & Slovak Museum and Library, which is marking its 50th anniversary this year.

    The last occasion when both Czech and Slovak presidents visited the museum together was in 1995, when Václav Havel and Michal Kováč met with then-US President Bill Clinton. This time, the US was represented by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.

    In his speech President Pavel congratulated the museum on its milestone anniversary, calling the Astronomical Clock a symbol of the enduring cultural ties between the Czech and Slovak nations.

    The Buresh Immigration Clock Tower, which features twelve rotating wooden figures by Slovak sculptor Andrej Haršány, honors the Czechs and Slovaks, who immigrated to Iowa in the late 19th century and founded the Czech Village.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 09/28/2024

    The opposition ANO party will seek a seat in the Senate leadership if it secures enough support in the final round of the Senate elections, Andrej Babiš told reporters on Saturday.

    Speaking after casting his vote for ANO candidate Helena Válková, who is challenging incumbent Senator Zdeněk Hraba of the Together coalition made up of the Civic Democrats, the Christian Democrats, and TOP 09, Mr Babiš said the party would pursue the role of deputy Senate president if entitled by election results.

    Currently, the Senate leadership comprises five members, with the chair held by Miloš Vystrčil of the Civic Democrats. The vice-chairs represent the Mayors and Independents, Christian Democrats, Civic Democrats and TOP09.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 09/28/2024

    Czech tennis player Tomáš Macháč reached the quarterfinals in Tokyo, after defeating the world number 13 and the fifth seeded American Tommy Paul 2:6, 6:3 and 7:6. Their first match lasted over two and a half hours. The 23-year-old Czech, who has a world ranking of 34, will next face American Alex Michelsen.

    Another Czech, Jiří Lehečka reached the quarter-finals in Beijing after his first victory over Roberto Bautista. He beat the Spanish qualifier 3:6, 6:2, 6:1. The Czech world number 37 will next face the winner of the match between the top seed Jannik Sinner of Italy and Russian lucky loser Roman Safiullin.

    In women’s singles, Karolina Muchová advanced to the third round of the China Open by beating Chinese Yue Yuan 6-3, 6-1. Muchova, ranked No 49, will play the winner of the match between Romanian Jaqueline Cristian and Barbora Krejčíková next.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 09/28/2024

    The opposition ANO Party has marked a significant victory in the 2024 Senate elections. The party, led by former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, secured eight of the 27 seats available, claiming its first ever win in the elections to the upper house of Czech parliament. Two ANO candidates were successful in the first round, with six more winning in run-offs.

    Candidates from the ruling coalition secured victories in 15 districts. The Mayors and Independents emerged as the most successful among the government parties, winning six seats, while the Civic Democrats only defended five of ten seats. The Christian Democrats and TOP 09 Party each won in two districts. Among the newcomers in the Senate will be the anti-government Oath party, whose leader Robert Šlachta won both rounds in the Břeclav region.

    Just 17.5 percent of eligible voters chose to vote in the second round of the 2024 Senate elections, after an attendance of 30.82 percent in the first round. It is one of the lowest turnouts since the establishment of the independent Czech Republic.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 09/27/2024

    Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský will cut short his official trip to the United States and return to Czechia on Sunday due to the current government crisis. In an interview with Czech Television, Mr. Lipavský said that he will meet Prime Minister Petr Fiala for talks on Monday, and will offer his resignation.

    Lipavský, a member of the Pirate Party, stated his disagreement with the party's recent decision to withdraw from the government following the Prime Minister’s decision to dismiss Deputy Prime Minister and Regional Development Minister Ivan Bartoš. He also revealed his intention to quit the party altogether and said he had no plans to join another political organisation.

    Prime Minister Fiala made it clear he did not want to lose Lipavský as foreign minister and President Pavel also said it would be unfortunate to have a change-of-guard at the top foreign ministry post.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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